Minister Criticizes UN Aid To Iran For Anti-drug Campaign

Tehran, Dec 28, IRNA – Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli said the United Nations aids to Iran for its anti-drug campaign is next to nothing. The minister made the remarks in a meeting with the representative of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crimes (UNODC) in Iran here Saturday. He highlighted the necessity for absorbing more financial, equipment and technical resources through the United Nations to see further improvement in performances in this area. He stressed that Iran is suffering very heavy financial and human losses in its anti-narcotics fight due to its geographical situation as a country which is located next to Afghanistan, the biggest producer of opium in the world. Noting that Iran’s anti-narcotics efforts are rooted in its belief in humanitarian and religious values, the minister said more aids meant more success in fighting drug abuses because Iran’s achievements will benefit the whole world. He voiced Iran’s readiness to help substitute puppy cultivation with other kinds of plantations in parts of Afghanistan, saying Tehran believes the UNODC experiences in Southeast Asia can be helpful./end